Summer of the Black Birds
by Suzume Batchii Taichi
Summary: There was a promise. It remained unkept, unresolved issues are brought to light one summer, when the first name to ever make the 'Book of Friends' requests it return.
1. Reiko Natsume: Forgetful

Disclaimer: I do not own!

Author's Note: This Story is based off of Ryn-Ryn Arashi's one-shot His Name and Rank. A Natsume Yuujincho & Black Bird xover. I asked on Christmas if I could make it into a story she agreed. I hope I do her story justice! It took me a bit but I sorted out a semblance of a plot.

* * *

_Prologue_

_Reiko Natsume: Forgetful_

**_Fifty-nine years ago_**

_She was an adorable young girl. With hair the color of Straw and Wheat. Her eyes a bright yet hollow amber. Her clothes where muddy and damaged. Her face and a slight scrap. She sat there at the edge of the river glaring at the fish that shied away from the section she occupied. He stood beside her silent, moments ago she was about to have been devoured by a rogue Yokai. it was odd seeing such a powerful young being, and to be completely human at that. He was the size and apparent age of about six. Though he was well over thirty in human years._

_She was the first to speak. "Oui Yokai," She rudely acknowledged him. "I'll make you a bargain if you protect me..." He looked to her as if he wanted to scoff, it's as if she figured he was a low ranked Yokai. A feeble bargain would not be what sways him. _

_Seeing his reaction to the term 'bargain' she sighed. "Fine. Instead of a bargain. How about a pact? A binding promise?" She added. He raised a brow. _

_"You truly want my protection? And way to protect yourself?" She nodded. She was only seven and all the children in her class called her a liar. Adults call her worse, and big kids threw things at her. "If Yokai didn't exist, or at least were I couldn't see than everything would be fine. I'm sick of it. Humans and Yokai picking on me. Can't you make it stop?"_

_He sighed. "There is a way I could protect you. The way any man would a woman. I'll give you something of value. The power of a Yokai, at your disposal. But if you are proven unworthy and incapable of benevolence. I'll come back to reclaim it. Okay?" She nodded. "Hand me your satchel."_

_He took a long rectangular page from a bamboo made notebook. From a feather from his wing he wrote: 碓氷_

_"What are you doing?" She asked. He looked her in the eyes with a slight smirk. "I'm giving you my last name." She frowned in confusion. "I don't get it, why?"_

_"Don't you know? When you take possession over a Yokai's name you possess their power and will. But I'm only writing my last name. I will bend to no ones will so helplessly." She blinked. 'Take their name... And you control them?' She mused, storing it away incase it's important later._

_"I'm giving you my last name as a promise that if I protect you, you will become my bride. When your older."_

_"Your bride? Why would anyone want to marry me?" She scoffed. Though the thought made her upset, it was what even her mother said. 'No one wants a liar.' He smirked. "I would. You possess strong powers any Yokai would hunt for in a mate. Count yourself lucky." He held the contract in front of her. "So. Do you want it? You'll have to agree."_

_She nodded. "Yea." _

_"Then I now pronounce you Natsume Reiko, The barer of my surname: Usui."_

_"What should I call you? Now that I have your name Yokai-San." She blinked curiously at the name. "It is still my name, but in you possession. You can call me simply, Kyo."_

_"You got it." She smiled with a shrug._

**Ten years after**

"That rogue girl, Natsume. I hear she's engaged."

"It's true I saw them! He looks like a foreigner."

"Such lovely hair and brilliant eyes, I wonder how she got him."

"She probably threatened to curse him? After all, what appeal can a girl with no home training have?"

"About the same as any house pet." The women laughed. A loud mocking laugh sounded from beside them. "Ah haha haha! House pet that's a new one. It still doesn't carry the umpth of Bitch though." She droned sarcastically. "Look if you old hags have anything to me Natsume Reiko, say it to Me!" She pointed her thumb to her chest. "Natsume Reiko!"

"I'll do you one better," A handsome young man placed his hand on Reiko's shoulder. He had hair the color of burnt umber, and pale green eyes. He wore glasses with thin frames. "If you have something to say about Reiko, you'll deal with me. Takeru Natsume." They agreed to keep her last name as the surname. He rapped his arms around Reiko, glaring at the woman as the shied away.

"Takeru what do you think your doing! I'm suppose to intimidate them! I want them to know I'm not taking there jabs anymore, not having you make me seem like a coward!" She scolded, swatting him away when she started feeling self-conscious.

"Reiko, I'll handle anyone's harsh words against you. I'm proud to be with you, that your my wife." He said sincerely, he sounded like a child to her. Her face turned red. It was too sweet and too clique. She scowled, and went tsudere on him. "Your wife, feh, more like your mine." She stomped away embarrassed. He followed behind her. "Reiko!"

In her bag crowded by hundreds more sat one name long forgotten. Unfaded and still as crisp as the day it was given. The first named in the very back of the Yuujincho: 碓氷 Usui.

* * *

Parings:

_Kyo x Misao_

_Natsume x Madara_

_Reiko x Takeru_

Takeru is an OC seeing as they never mention Takashi's Grandfather. I figured why not give Reiko a romance of her own. He and she will appear in some chapters as well. It's taken me a bit but here's getting started and moving forward.

**Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - Friday, March 15, 2013**


	2. Takeru Manju: Curious

Disclaimer: I do not own!

Author's Note: This Story is based off of Ryn-Ryn Arashi's one-shot His Name and Rank. A Natsume Yuujincho & Black Bird xover. I asked on Christmas if I could make it into a story she agreed. I hope I do her story justice! It took me a bit but I sorted out a semblance of a plot.

* * *

_Chapter One_

_Takeru Manju: Curious_

_**Fifty years ago**_

_"...and this is your new classmate, Manju Takeru. Look after him." His hair was reddish brown, and his eyes a pale green. He wore glasses with thin frames. He held a half happy, half nervous grin. "Hey so... Yea uh I'll just take my seat." The boys snickered a bit, and the girls giggled. He chuckled lowly scratching his head as he took his seat in the back of the class, just a seat away from the window._

_He rested his head in his hand as the teacher began to drone on about Delta Hf and it's meaning in and purpose in chemistry. He began to zone out the murmurs of his new classmates, and the teachers voice becoming background noise as his eyes began to lose focus. His vision strayed to the window, he watched as birds continuously swarmed around each other. He pondered to himself wondering for the near thousandth time why his father decided to move them here from Suiten. He already missed his friends from his hometown, not to mention his mother and brother._

_He found himself looking past some trees outside where he noticed some odd winds pick up, and just soon after a girl with hair the color of Straw and the uniform of the same verity as the girls in the school ran out swinging a bat. 'This school has a baseball team?' Catching a glimps of her face, his cheeks reddened. 'She's really... pretty.' He noticed that weird papers were attached to the bat, it caused him to raise a brow. All of a sudden the girl swung the bat, a large gale hit the trees in the direction she swung crushing and breaking them. The girl scoffed a walked away as if it was of no interest. He watched as she left the school grounds at a fast pace. 'What was that all abo-'_

_"Manju-San! It's your first day and so far your making a bad impression! Pay attention or I'll sent you to the office!" He jumped, flinching at her words. She had been calling him to attention for some moments, but went unheard continuously. "Y-yes ma'am forgive me!" He stood and bowed in apologized. His classmates snickered. 'So much for an easy first day.' He sighed in his head._

_After class he found himself cutting, he wonders around the school grounds looking around at what it had to offer. He had to admit the building was pretty big. He hoped he didn't lose his way. He paused at the thought. 'Alibi!' Was the first thought to pass. Out the first floor window he saw the girl again._

_She looked like she was talking - more like yelling - to herself. He watched as she raised her hands to her hips. Her face was flushed an angry red. 'She must be venting. i wonder what happened...' It Looked like she was violently stomping something. 'Who ever made her mad, she must be calling them everything but a child of kami.' He chuckled a bit. Her head perked up, it looked like she was about to turn his way. He ducked down below the windowpane. His face a cherry-red at almost being caught. He worked up the nerve to stand to look her way again. When he rose his head she was already gone. He made a frumpy expression._

_He made his way out the school, as the class bell rang. He looked to the large trees, he started walking the beaten path trail. He heard a rustle from behind a few of trees some distance away from him. He follow it curious as to what it was. Far from the path something rapped around his leg, he gasped. "Wha-?" A rustle and battle cry caught his ear. "Hey, Hey! Don't think you can Get away!" The girl came running toward him, bat rearing above her._

_He expected to see nothing but the blackness of the abyss when the bat made contact with his head. But when it hit, it felt like something just took the blunt of the hit, and he got it's remains. He heard shattering off the glass from his glasses and felt noting but dizzy. The girl bellowed angrily. "Retarded Yokai! Did you honestly think that you could get away by hiding from Me? Natsume Reik- oh... Whose that?" Vaguely he wondered who she was talking to, she crouched down to his level. Looking at him face to face, at eye level. When she noticed the bruise he was sporting from her bat, she cursed. 'A human? A school mate at that!'_

_"What the hell were you doing here? The woods are dangerous! And I could've split your skull! You know where we'd be? I'd be in jail and you either the Hospital or the Morgue!" She said actually worried about his injury. She noticed it was changing color fast she hissed under her breath. "Fucking Dumbass!" She grabbed him by the arm. "Can you stand? Can you see straight? If not do you have five-hundred yen on you?" She couldn't leave him here with a head injury. And if he couldn't walk on his own shed have to carry him to the next connivance store for ice. "Kuso! Why were you wandering the damn forest!?"_

_He finally found his voice, he bashfully answered. "I was curious.." She glared angrily at him. "Don't you know curiously killed the cat?" He managed a cocky grin. "Yeah but satisfaction brought it back."_

_"Then you want to be the walking dead?" She huffed. He was odd, not more than her, but odd. A hand latched onto her ankle, she let out a yelp as it picked her up upside down. 'Damn.' "Karikage! Release me! Or I sware to Emna I'll make the next few decades for you pure unadulterated hell!" She yelled angrily. She had been hunting him all day._

_"Now now Natsume Reiko. thats no way to speak to a being of more value is it?" This same Yokai had a nasty habit of showing up when she was changing clothes, as penance she had been hunting him for his name. Having heard Madara mention his name. She was pissed the boy was able to distract her long enough for this Yokai to form a sneak attack. 'Wait the boy.' He probably split at the odd 'levitation act', she figured bitterly. She had her other leg ready to kick the Yokai in his head when. her bat crashed to Karikage's head from behind. Karikage dropped her and she brought her fist to his face._

_Karikage laid on the ground of the forest unconscious. Takeru breathed heavily he was completely confused. "What ways that?!" He asked in bewilderment. 'Now I'm curious...' She thought bitterly she knew she was getting her hopes high but what other explanation could there be. "You see Yokai?" She asked tentively. "Yokai...? Like story legends?" He looked to the ground at Karikage the Yokai was a blurring mass to him like he was seeing it threw utter fog, his fingers twitched and Takeru went to hit him again when Reiko stopped him. "Don't kill him I need him alive... for now."_

_She noticed that he fell silent, she held out her hand. He went to grab her hand she pulled back. He looked at her confused. Her cheeks some what pink. "My bat." She answered simply. He scratched his cheek. "Here, I think I've taken enough of your bat today." She commented jokingly, she took it as a jab to her. "Your looking for an apology... Fine what's your name." He smiled at her. "My name is Takeru. M-Manju Takeru." He didn't much care for his last name. He did want her to know his name, it was odd. He considers himself very sociable, he'd never been so eager to know someone. She was to interesting to ignore. "Then Manju Takeru, I apologize take it or leave it."_

_"I'll take it." He picked up his broken glasses, and sighed. If he didn't have replacements he may have been mad. He winced when his head started pounding. She looked at him, clicked her tongue and walked behind some trees. "Stay right there." She warned him. She stopped behind some distance from him. "Susugi." She whispers touching the Yuujincho. "Susugi I need you to steal me some ice from the store. Make it fast." The Yokai nodded in what appeared sadly, he faded away and came back moments later. Holding out his hands as he's so use to doing. She went in her bag and gave him a small portion of her tuna sandwich. 'Greedy.' She walked back to Takeru, thinking out loud to herself._

_"Curiosity is just bad for your health!" She scoffed._

* * *

Parings:

_Kyo x Misao_

_Natsume x Madara_

_Reiko x Takeru_

_Sorry for the delay in updates. I really am! ::Bows Profusely::_

_**Friday, March 15, 2013 - Saturday, May 25, 2013**_


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